Be grateful for our teachers

Published 12:01 am, Sunday, June 26, 2011

I offer another perspective on David Wright's June 22 letter, "Teachers entitled to many perks." Not everyone may be aware that:

1. Teachers are expected to meet the needs of 28 to 120 students every day. How many people are willing to do a job where they have to make hundreds of decisions daily that affect the growth of another human being?

2. Teachers often spend their own money to buy classroom supplies, support students who may need some assistance and create the best learning environment they can.

3. Teachers work on their own time grading papers, planning lessons, calling parents, attending meetings and more. No teacher works only 180 days, and their school days go way beyond 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

4. Teachers educate students, coordinate with other faculty, accommodate expectations of their principals and district superintendent, and deal with parents. It is tough to imagine any other job where one person is trying to meet the needs and expectations of so many others, who often have differing agendas.

5. Teachers can't leave their desks whenever they want to get a cup of coffee or go to the bathroom. Lunch breaks are usually spent on work-related issues. Teachers are "on" from the moment they walk into the building to the moment they leave.

I am not a teacher. I am just a person grateful for the dedicated teachers who have given so much to our community. We have placed the care of our children, and the shaping of our future into teachers' hands. Let's recognize and support their efforts.